Not applicable.
Numerous types of flashlights have been developed, assembled, and marketed over the years. In fact, many such flashlights have been made of a miniaturized size, so as to conveniently fit within an available but yet small capacity storage place, such as a glove compartment in an automobile, or even in the pocket, or pocketbook. One such flashlight is shown in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,490, relating to an encased flashlight, and which is assigned to a common assignee. In the structure of that device, the resiliency of the cap encasing the back of the flashlight, at the rear end of the battery, contains sufficient resiliency to provide for the contact providing for conduction of the charge, and lighting of its associated lamp.
This current invention provides and improved means for facilitating the shifting of the operative components of a flashlight together, to assure the electrical contact for ignition of the light.
This invention relates primarily to a miniaturized flashlight, and more specifically to a small scale flashlight that can be manipulated by the user into an operative and lighted condition, through the depressing of a resilient spacer.
This invention contemplates the formation of a small flashlight, generally one incorporating a single battery, although the essence of this invention may be incorporated into flashlights of larger scale and intensity. The novel flashlight includes a casing, end caps, with one end cap having an aperture therethrough for projection of a lamp, while the opposite end cap holds the battery in place within the casing. This last said end cap can be pressed or pushed to provide for lighting of the flashlight. A unique spacer, formed of a resilient material which may include plastic, vinyl, polymer, rubber, or the like, is positioned within the casing intermediate the lamp and the battery, normally holding these two components apart so as to maintain the flashlight in a inactive or non-lighted state. The external pushing of the end cap at the back of the battery causes the resilient spacer to collapse or compress to allow contact between the forward end of the battery and the base of the flashlight lamp causing the flashlight to light up. The resilient spacer incorporates such flexibility and resiliency so that when the flashlight is an inactivated stated, the spacer re-expands, separating the lamp from its battery, and thereby turning off the flashlight.
It is, therefore, among the objects of the present invention to provide a small flashlight which can be activated into operation through the external compression of an internal resilient spacer intermediate a battery and a lamp, thereby dispensing with the need for any type of a mechanical switch normally incorporated within a flashlight of this type.
Another object of this invention is to provide a flashlight of minor size, and which can be conveniently located in a small storage space, such as a pocket, pocketbook, case, or the glove compartment of an automobile.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a flashlight incorporating a key retainer ring on one end.
Another object of the current invention is to provide a flashlight fabricated from various components, and which can be facilely assembled during manufacture.
Still another object of this invention is to provide for a flashlight which is fabricated from various resilient and polymer or rubber-like components, and which are easy to assemble during usage, due to their stretchable and expandable qualities, and having the ability to contract, when assembled.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a flashlight with relatively few parts, that is very easy to assemble during the manufacturing process.
These and other objects will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the summary as provided herein, and upon undertaking a study of the description of its preferred embodiment, in view of the drawings.